(MENAFN- Jordan Times)
AMMAN - The 69th edition of the CFI Basketball League tips off on Thursday with seven clubs taking part.
Holders Ahli and veterans Orthodoxi join a field of relative newcomers to the league headed by Amman United, Jubeiha, Ashrafieh, Jalil and Shabab Bushra. Following the end of the first round on January 31, the top four will advance to Round 3 while the rest battle for two spots to join the top four. The final playoffs are slated to end by May 21.
The league will halt for a month to allow the national team's Window 3, Group D matches against Saudi Arabia and Iraq in February 2025 although Jordan has already booked its spot to the 31st FIBA Asia Cup 2025 after beating Palestine 87-81, Iraq 73-64 in Window 2 which came after two wins over Palestine 73-46 and Saudi Arabia 79-64 in Window 1.
The Kingdom, 2023 Asian Games silver medalist and three-time qualifier to the World Cup, 2010, 2019 and 2023 will be playing the FIBA Asia Cup for the 17th time, with their best position runner-up in 2011.
The local basketball scene was disrupted last season with only 3 clubs contesting the League which led the Jordan Basketball Federation temporary committee to suspend the season.
In the last season played in 2022/2023, coach Mu'tasem Salameh who had earlier guided Wihdat to the 2022 title, joined Ahli midway through the season and secured their 25th title. Record 25 time holders Ahli, who had disbanded the team for over a decade, came back to win the Jordan Cup in 2018, and have since also won the league four times in the past six seasons after the title had eluded them since 1994.
Orthodoxi were runner-up last season and their 23rd title was in 2014-15. They won the Jordan Cup in 2022.
Jubeiha and Amman United join teams from Irbid - Ashrafieh, Jalil and Shabab Bushra – as newcomers to the league, while two major teams are missing the competition: Former champs Wihdat have not regrouped the team after they were suspended by the JBF in 2022 over regulations and age-division requirements after they won their first won the title in 2019, and again in 2021/22.
Similarly, Riyadi-Aramex who won the league in 2015/16 and 2016/17, 20 years after they first won in 1997 under then Jazira-Aramex have disbanded their senior team.
The Basketball League which started in 1952 has had eight teams crowned champion. It was not played in four seasons and discontinued once. Ahli have won 25 times, Orthodoxi 23, Zain (Fastlink) 6, ASU 4, Wihdat, Riyadi and Jazira-Aramex twice, while Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Co. won once each. Teams like former league and cup champs Applied Science University, Ittihad, and Zain have pulled out of the competition.
The Jordan Cup has seen Fastlink winning the most titles in four consecutive seasons (2003-04-05-06) before they played and won under Zain in 2008, Ahli won four times (2018-19-20-21), Riyadi won three times in (2002- 2011- 2012), ASU ( 2010- 2013- 2014) and Orthodoxi (2007-2015-2022).
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